1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods of heating various surfaces by a heater element. Specifically, the invention relates to a method for heating the surface of a food receptacle to heat the food contained therein .
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of methods for heating surfaces through the use of heater elements exist in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,886, to Kraus et al., discloses an electrically conductive web composed of a non-woven sheet of conductive fibers and non-conductive fibers. The sheet is saturated with a dispersion containing conductive particles and dried. The Kraus et al. heater element is primarily used in heating pads.
International Application No. PCT/US94/13504 (Publication No. WO95/15670), discloses an electrically conductive composite heating assembly that has an electrically conductive non-woven fiber layer laminated between layers of fiberglass and other dielectric material and has an abrasion resistant outer layer. The heater element is used in aerospace structures as an ice protection system to withstand repeated mechanical stress and thermal cycles in extremely harsh aerospace environments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,696 to Hastings et al. discloses an integrally bonded laminate which is used to thermally control a surface or portion of a surface of an aircraft to which the laminate is bonded.
None of the prior art heater elements, however, have been successfully applied to the surface of a food receptacle to heat the food contained therein.